Sealant ? for dark metallic paint

Tim A

New member
Hi folks,



My first post, and of course, it's a question! :)



I've been lurking for a while, trying learn as much as possible from reading all the great posts. But, maybe I have information overload here now :)





I have a couple month old 2003 Anniversary Edition Corvette. The color is called Anniversary Red, but it is actually a tri-color paint that looks more like maroon metallic with gold metal flake.



She had a 1500 highway trip to bring her home, and in that, picked up a couple scratches here and there. Nothing big, just road rash, and she had some dealer installed swirls.



Based on information gained from the forum here, I wanted to get the paint back to flawless.



I used some Finesse-It II to get the road rash scratches out ( SMR wouldn't quite cut it ), then proceeded to go over the entire car with Menzerna FP to get rid of the small dealer installed swirls, and remove the haze from the FI II.



I followed that up with Klasse AIO, and right now it looks great.



I have already purchased Sourveran as a top coat, but my dilema is trying to figure out what the best sealant would be for dark metallic paint. One that provides protection, but still allows clarity for the shimmer and glow of the darker color and metal flake.



I have read that Klasse SG is great, but not really for darker metallic paint, because it's just not optically pure, and would "diminish" some of the metallic properties?



UPP sounds good, but has anyone used it on a dark metallica color as a base for Sourveran?



Or, are there any other recommedations?



I've tried Zaino Z5/ZFX on other cars, and while a great product, I've read elsewhere that it doesn't make that great of a base for carnuba.



Thanks for any and all assistance.



Tim
 
I have a black '98 black Benz. When I bought it, last spring, the woman who had owned it thought that washing her car meant taking it to a local car wash!. I spent about 1 month...off and on..buffing, polishing, primping, poofing, etc. etc. I now use AIO and Blackfire....very similar to UPP. I've tried a variety of things from Vanilla Moose and S100, to SEC and Collinite paste wax. I've sort of settled on the Blackfire as my sealant. I was hoping to try Souveran Liquid on top, but am still waiting for a sample. I think you'd be pretty happy with either UPP or the Blackfire...they are both great products.:up
 
Doah!! I just realized that you're from Upton! If you're interested, I'll swap you some UPP or Blackfire for some Souveran. I work in Framingham, and am in the process of moving near to Worcester.
 
We also have an '03 AE. From experience, I can say that S100/P21S looks really good on that paint. I have Klasse, but haven't used it on there - however, that was the first thing I thought of. "Damn, Klasse would look really good on there..."



R8C delivery?



Save the wave! (Mine's a black '03 coupe =) )
 
I would go with Poorboy's EX. It is easy to apply and remove and extremely friendly to many combinations of glazes and waxes.
 
I would not be afraid of the Klasse SG, It looked good on my wife's Balck pathfinder. I just started using poorboy's EX and it brings out the color even more, that is what I would go with.

I have not tried the others yet. I think that either Blackfire or UPP will be my next product to experiment with.
 
I'm with Scott, Poorboys EX. My Lexus is "Black Garnet Pearl" which is similar to the red on your Corvette (I've seen it several times up close) just about two shades darker. The Poorboys looks fantastic on it, it really does. It really deepens the color and brings out the highlights. In fact, it looks so good that I haven't even bothered to top it with a carnuaba. Its cheap too :xyxthumbs:



Just check out www.poorboysproducts.com , run a search on here for "Poorboys" and PM Steve, his handle is "Poorboys" I believe
 
Welcome :wavey Nice car :D

I am in the process of layering SG onto my AE 'vert. I'v got 3 on right now and will stop at SGx4 this Saturday. Then let cure and top with Souveran on Sunday. I'd post pics of the SGx3 but I'm at the office, right now. I took some pics this past Sunday, I'll have to post once I get home later this afternoon.
 
Wow, great responses!! Thanks everyone! :)



I'm still debating what to try, but am beginning to narrow it down to Poorboy's or SG.



unclearty - I have Souveran paste, not the liquid, but if you still want to try some out, I can scoop some out for you...it goes on like butter, it certainly doesn't take too much to cover a car.



Polaris - no, no R8C :( I tried, but by the time I got the money together, it was to late to order one and still get the R8C delivery. So, I bought one sight unseen from Maxie Price in GA, drive it up to outside Nashville for a quick stop to see my mother, then on up here to home.



Brad, mines a 'vert also! If you could post a pic, that would be great. I'd like to see how the AE comes out with SG on her.



Thanks again for everyone's help and welcomes! Great forum :D



Tim
 
I've used Poorboy's EX since April on my black Camry. I've reapplied EX once since I ran out of Trade Secret wax. I was topping with TS and found that it looks just as good without it. I've been very pleased with the look and durability of EX. :up



Take care.....V
 
Maxie Price... Tim, if you're not already, go sign up at www.corvetteforum.com . I'm there a lot. Pretty cool place, and I think Maxie Price is there, as well. I'll be Polaris there, too. :xyxthumbs



Save the wave :wavey
 
*Cough* Poorboys *Cough*:cool:



Naa just kidding, I've never used SG to compare, but I'm 110% satisfied with the Poorboys on the Black Garnet. I wish I had pictures, my digicam is on the blink.
 
Well, there seems to be a good responce and results with AIO/SG combo as a sealant and then topped with S100 or Souveran wax.



I cannot say myself, as I use Zaino on my '03 Red Lexus SC430, and love the way it looks. I have posted pics on it here on the site.



The major thing you have to do is the prep, then try a little of this, a little of that and choose which looks best in your eye. Next is how long do you want it to last, how many times do you have to maintain it etc.



Got a sample of EX, but have yet to try it on its own.



This site will burn a hole in your wallet! So many things to try!



I'd go with AIO/SG/WAX as it seems to be a proven winner by quite a few here, but you can also try EX now or later, just how much work you want to do in testing.



Regards,

Deanski
 
Washed, clayed - clay magic, washed, S100's SEC with PC CMA white pad speed on 4, AIO by hand with MF applicator and SGx3 by hand with cotton applicator. Dried SG overnight each time, buffed residue with 1 wet MF and 1 dry. All ideas from searching posts on Autopia. :D



palm_reflect640.jpg




hood_reflect640.jpg




side640.jpg
 
oh wow..... thats the best AE I've seen yet!



Theres a lady who owns one of the A4 Coupe versions of the AE at an office building I do some detailing for, I still keep trying to get her to let me do hers because she takes piss-poor care of it, its always sitting there looking a mess. :(
 
Back
Top